There's enough written about the other Thurs games, so now for something totally different:
Inexperienced Ball State offensive line looks to prove itself
Ball State will be depending on a series of newcomers after losing four starters along its offensive front, including three first-team All-MAC selections.
The five-player unit features junior left guard Mike Switzer, who has started all 27 games of his career with the Cardinals. Center Kreg Hunter has four career starts. The three others on the line will make their first starts when Ball State plays North Texas in Scheumann Stadium. Flanking Switzer on the left side of the line will be redshirt freshman Cameron Lowry at tackle. Hunter is playing a new position at center after being at right guard last season.
The only sure things seem to be Michael Switzer at left guard, Cam Lowry at left tackle and Kreg Hunter at center. The other starting spots on the line probably won't be determined until the final 24 hours before the first game.
A Ball State assistant football coach left the program for personal reasons less than three weeks ago as the Cardinals were beginning to assemble for the start of fall camp.
John Powers, in his fourth year in the program, took a leave of absence from the university in May. He returned to work in early August and informed school officials he would no longer continue to coach football. Powers joined the staff of former Cardinals head coach Brady Hoke in 2006, coaching the offensive line and tight ends the past three seasons.
HC Parrish said early last month that building a credible offensive line, which is coached by first-year assistant Jay Eck, was the No. 1 area to address for the Cardinals in fall camp.
C Hunter thinks the unit has made strides since spring practice, when it was dominated by the Cardinals' veteran defensive line.
Uhoh, defensive tackles led by safeties:
Free safety Baker and strong safety Alex Knipp provided stirring results last season in their first year playing side by side. Knipp led the Cardinals in tackles with 96, and Baker was second with 94. With experienced cornerbacks in the lineup, Knipp and Baker were allowed to roam the defense and make plays. With no experienced corners in the lineup this year, Knipp and Baker will be asked to provide a veteran presence in the secondary and take on more responsibility.
First-year coordinator Doug Graber scrapped the team's 3-4 defense and installed a 4-3 alignment.
Jeremy Hill has a quality that is unique to Ball State's stable of wide receivers. The sophomore has the ability to vertically stretch the field in the passing game.
That skill helped allow Hill to push his way into the Cardinals' starting lineup for the season-opening football game at home Thursday against North Texas on ESPNU.
"Jeremy is really the only true home-run hitter we have on the team," Cardinals coach Stan Parrish said. The 6-foot-2 Hill, from Marietta, Ga., did not catch a pass last season while playing sparingly in 11 games.
Quale Lewis enjoyed a dream season last year for Ball State's football team while rushing for 1,736 yards, the sixth-best total in Mid-American Conference history.
Lewis is one of the two most experienced players (left guard Michael Switzer is the other) on offense for the Cardinals, having started 17 career games. Parrish considers Lewis the centerpiece of the offense, and he has a different plan in mind for Lewis to fit into that role in 2009.
The coach is careful not to divulge too much about what that role will be, but Lewis is destined to play some as a receiver this year in an attempt to get the ball in his hands in different ways.
NTexas:
Youth is prevalent throughout the two-deep on both sides of the ball. Among the 44 starters and backups listed on offense and defense, 14 are redshirt freshmen or true freshman. The youngest position might be at linebacker, where true freshmen Travis Freeman (MLB), Theon Dixon (WLB) and Tony Martin (SLB) are listed as backups.
Although it hasn't won more than three games in a season since 2005, UNT's football team is more than eager to wipe the slate clean
The Mean Green only had one win last season and lost every conference game.
Todd Dodge took over as head coach at the beginning of the 2007 season, after coaching Southlake Carroll High School to four state championships in five years.
Before Dodge took the program over, the offense was primarily based around the running game, using an offensive set of two backs and two tight ends.
During the past two years, however, the team has presented a much more pass-oriented offense. Dodge's offense has been centered around the shotgun formation, meaning the quarterback is set back with four wide receivers and a back, or three wide receivers with a tight end and a back
He said he wants to get back to the balance he had while coaching at Southlake Carroll, where the team rushed about 51 percent and passed the rest of the time
The new starting quarterback is Coach Dodge's son, Riley. He is a redshirt freshman, which means his participation was delayed a year in order to lengthen his eligibility.
Riley Dodge initially committed to play football at the University of Texas in Austin, but decided to attend UNT after his father accepted the coaching job here, Dodge said.
What Riley brings to the table we haven't seen, perhaps in 20 years, is a running game threat. It's up to the offensive line to keep him healthy and silence the critics who harp on nothing but his size, or lack there of.
The offensive line and linebacking core, which he refers to as the heart and soul of the team, are shining examples of both the depth and experience needed, Dodge said.
"The offensive line has 102 combined career starts at the college level, and the players are all returning this season with experience protecting the passing and running game," he said. There have been better lines to play for North Texas, but this one is so deep, and so experienced top to bottom, left to right, there aren't any holes.
The Mean Green returns four or its top five rushers from last season and takes the redshirt off a promising young freshman. Senior Cam Montgomery is back after rushing for 928 yards last season.
The three starting linebackers are also returning. Linebacker Tobe Nwigwe made it clear that winning is the top priority.
There is almost no experience in the wide receiver, defensive line and quarterback positions. The WR spot was and still is a big question mark. There is a lot of potential and what looks like playmaking ability. However the likely starting lineup of B.J. Lewis, Alex Lott, Jamaal Jackson, and Michael Outlaw has caught a combined 36 receptions among them.
UNT has struggled defensively in the Dodge era, partly because of its inability to contain backs like Lewis. Middle Tennessee running back Phillip Tanner needed just 14 carries to run up 159 yards and five touchdowns against UNT last season, and Florida Atlantic’s Charles Pierre finished with 140 yards on 12 carries.
UNT gave up 10 touchdown runs of at least 30 yards in 2008.
The Mean Green’s hopes for improvement will rest in large part with Shavod Atkinson and Kelvin Jackson, a pair of junior college defensive tackles UNT brought in to help plug the interior of its line.
Jackson and Atkinson are among UNT’s largest players at 309 and 307 pounds, respectively. The pair will join what Dodge said would be a 10-man rotation along UNT’s defensive front. The Mean Green plans to rotate players to fit the situation and help keep its linemen fresh so that they can continue chasing Lewis throughout the night.
The duo at the safety spot have never started a D-I game. Defensive MVP of the fall camp was CB Royce Hill.
Six of the 11 offensive starters at the end of the year were in their first year of action with North Texas. Only seven schools played more true freshmen than North Texas last season.
Fellow Sun Belt Conference team Western Kentucky got a heavy dose of Lewis last season in a loss to Ball State. Lewis rushed for 112 yards on 18 carries against the Hilltoppers.
“Lewis is an excellent back,” WKU head coach David Elson said. “But that offensive line was also a big factor in their success.”
UNT was hammered over and over again last season. UNT's average margin of defeat on the year was nearly 30 points a game. And remember, this game is on the road. Two of UNT's three wins in the Todd Dodge era have come at Fouts Field, including the Mean Green's only win over a Bowl Subdivision team in that span, a beat up Louisiana-Monroe team back in 2007.
North Texas holds a 1-3 all-time record against teams from the Mid-American Conference.
The Cardnials lost not only All-American quarterback Nate Davis, who accounted for 99 percent of their passing, but also three of their top four receivers, who accounted for 63 percent of the touchdowns received.
With redshirt freshman Riley Dodge taking over the offense and the loss of Casey Fitzgerald, the Mean Green have the same problems.
Defensively in 2008, although the Cardinals did struggle in their last two games, they finished 69th in the NCAA in total defense, a far cry from North Texas’ 119, which was last in the Football Bowl Subdivision
Ball State defensive coordinator Doug Graber has some insight into North Texas football that no opposing coach has ever had. Graber, in his first year with the Cardinals, spent several hours over the past two years watching film of North Texas while he was the color commentator for Sun Belt Conference games on ESPN Regional. Graber and North Texas head coach Todd Dodge discussed the intracacies of the Mean Green offense at length, both having no idea they would meet as opposing coaches the following year.
North Texas was bitten by the turnover bug in 2008, finishing the season ranked 116th in the NCAA in turnover margin. The Mean Green committed 33 turnovers, while gaining 16 for a -17 margin.
The Mean Green was outscored 167-64 in the first quarter and 210-59 in the second quarter, leading to an average halftime deficit of 21.2 points per game. It was a lethal combination of inefficient drives by the North Texas offense and a Mean Green defense that had a hard time keeping the opponent out of the end zone.
Inexperienced Ball State offensive line looks to prove itself
Ball State will be depending on a series of newcomers after losing four starters along its offensive front, including three first-team All-MAC selections.
The five-player unit features junior left guard Mike Switzer, who has started all 27 games of his career with the Cardinals. Center Kreg Hunter has four career starts. The three others on the line will make their first starts when Ball State plays North Texas in Scheumann Stadium. Flanking Switzer on the left side of the line will be redshirt freshman Cameron Lowry at tackle. Hunter is playing a new position at center after being at right guard last season.
The only sure things seem to be Michael Switzer at left guard, Cam Lowry at left tackle and Kreg Hunter at center. The other starting spots on the line probably won't be determined until the final 24 hours before the first game.
A Ball State assistant football coach left the program for personal reasons less than three weeks ago as the Cardinals were beginning to assemble for the start of fall camp.
John Powers, in his fourth year in the program, took a leave of absence from the university in May. He returned to work in early August and informed school officials he would no longer continue to coach football. Powers joined the staff of former Cardinals head coach Brady Hoke in 2006, coaching the offensive line and tight ends the past three seasons.
HC Parrish said early last month that building a credible offensive line, which is coached by first-year assistant Jay Eck, was the No. 1 area to address for the Cardinals in fall camp.
C Hunter thinks the unit has made strides since spring practice, when it was dominated by the Cardinals' veteran defensive line.
Uhoh, defensive tackles led by safeties:
Free safety Baker and strong safety Alex Knipp provided stirring results last season in their first year playing side by side. Knipp led the Cardinals in tackles with 96, and Baker was second with 94. With experienced cornerbacks in the lineup, Knipp and Baker were allowed to roam the defense and make plays. With no experienced corners in the lineup this year, Knipp and Baker will be asked to provide a veteran presence in the secondary and take on more responsibility.
First-year coordinator Doug Graber scrapped the team's 3-4 defense and installed a 4-3 alignment.
Jeremy Hill has a quality that is unique to Ball State's stable of wide receivers. The sophomore has the ability to vertically stretch the field in the passing game.
That skill helped allow Hill to push his way into the Cardinals' starting lineup for the season-opening football game at home Thursday against North Texas on ESPNU.
"Jeremy is really the only true home-run hitter we have on the team," Cardinals coach Stan Parrish said. The 6-foot-2 Hill, from Marietta, Ga., did not catch a pass last season while playing sparingly in 11 games.
Quale Lewis enjoyed a dream season last year for Ball State's football team while rushing for 1,736 yards, the sixth-best total in Mid-American Conference history.
Lewis is one of the two most experienced players (left guard Michael Switzer is the other) on offense for the Cardinals, having started 17 career games. Parrish considers Lewis the centerpiece of the offense, and he has a different plan in mind for Lewis to fit into that role in 2009.
The coach is careful not to divulge too much about what that role will be, but Lewis is destined to play some as a receiver this year in an attempt to get the ball in his hands in different ways.
NTexas:
Youth is prevalent throughout the two-deep on both sides of the ball. Among the 44 starters and backups listed on offense and defense, 14 are redshirt freshmen or true freshman. The youngest position might be at linebacker, where true freshmen Travis Freeman (MLB), Theon Dixon (WLB) and Tony Martin (SLB) are listed as backups.
Although it hasn't won more than three games in a season since 2005, UNT's football team is more than eager to wipe the slate clean
The Mean Green only had one win last season and lost every conference game.
Todd Dodge took over as head coach at the beginning of the 2007 season, after coaching Southlake Carroll High School to four state championships in five years.
Before Dodge took the program over, the offense was primarily based around the running game, using an offensive set of two backs and two tight ends.
During the past two years, however, the team has presented a much more pass-oriented offense. Dodge's offense has been centered around the shotgun formation, meaning the quarterback is set back with four wide receivers and a back, or three wide receivers with a tight end and a back
He said he wants to get back to the balance he had while coaching at Southlake Carroll, where the team rushed about 51 percent and passed the rest of the time
The new starting quarterback is Coach Dodge's son, Riley. He is a redshirt freshman, which means his participation was delayed a year in order to lengthen his eligibility.
Riley Dodge initially committed to play football at the University of Texas in Austin, but decided to attend UNT after his father accepted the coaching job here, Dodge said.
What Riley brings to the table we haven't seen, perhaps in 20 years, is a running game threat. It's up to the offensive line to keep him healthy and silence the critics who harp on nothing but his size, or lack there of.
The offensive line and linebacking core, which he refers to as the heart and soul of the team, are shining examples of both the depth and experience needed, Dodge said.
"The offensive line has 102 combined career starts at the college level, and the players are all returning this season with experience protecting the passing and running game," he said. There have been better lines to play for North Texas, but this one is so deep, and so experienced top to bottom, left to right, there aren't any holes.
The Mean Green returns four or its top five rushers from last season and takes the redshirt off a promising young freshman. Senior Cam Montgomery is back after rushing for 928 yards last season.
The three starting linebackers are also returning. Linebacker Tobe Nwigwe made it clear that winning is the top priority.
There is almost no experience in the wide receiver, defensive line and quarterback positions. The WR spot was and still is a big question mark. There is a lot of potential and what looks like playmaking ability. However the likely starting lineup of B.J. Lewis, Alex Lott, Jamaal Jackson, and Michael Outlaw has caught a combined 36 receptions among them.
UNT has struggled defensively in the Dodge era, partly because of its inability to contain backs like Lewis. Middle Tennessee running back Phillip Tanner needed just 14 carries to run up 159 yards and five touchdowns against UNT last season, and Florida Atlantic’s Charles Pierre finished with 140 yards on 12 carries.
UNT gave up 10 touchdown runs of at least 30 yards in 2008.
The Mean Green’s hopes for improvement will rest in large part with Shavod Atkinson and Kelvin Jackson, a pair of junior college defensive tackles UNT brought in to help plug the interior of its line.
Jackson and Atkinson are among UNT’s largest players at 309 and 307 pounds, respectively. The pair will join what Dodge said would be a 10-man rotation along UNT’s defensive front. The Mean Green plans to rotate players to fit the situation and help keep its linemen fresh so that they can continue chasing Lewis throughout the night.
The duo at the safety spot have never started a D-I game. Defensive MVP of the fall camp was CB Royce Hill.
Six of the 11 offensive starters at the end of the year were in their first year of action with North Texas. Only seven schools played more true freshmen than North Texas last season.
Fellow Sun Belt Conference team Western Kentucky got a heavy dose of Lewis last season in a loss to Ball State. Lewis rushed for 112 yards on 18 carries against the Hilltoppers.
“Lewis is an excellent back,” WKU head coach David Elson said. “But that offensive line was also a big factor in their success.”
UNT was hammered over and over again last season. UNT's average margin of defeat on the year was nearly 30 points a game. And remember, this game is on the road. Two of UNT's three wins in the Todd Dodge era have come at Fouts Field, including the Mean Green's only win over a Bowl Subdivision team in that span, a beat up Louisiana-Monroe team back in 2007.
North Texas holds a 1-3 all-time record against teams from the Mid-American Conference.
The Cardnials lost not only All-American quarterback Nate Davis, who accounted for 99 percent of their passing, but also three of their top four receivers, who accounted for 63 percent of the touchdowns received.
With redshirt freshman Riley Dodge taking over the offense and the loss of Casey Fitzgerald, the Mean Green have the same problems.
Defensively in 2008, although the Cardinals did struggle in their last two games, they finished 69th in the NCAA in total defense, a far cry from North Texas’ 119, which was last in the Football Bowl Subdivision
Ball State defensive coordinator Doug Graber has some insight into North Texas football that no opposing coach has ever had. Graber, in his first year with the Cardinals, spent several hours over the past two years watching film of North Texas while he was the color commentator for Sun Belt Conference games on ESPN Regional. Graber and North Texas head coach Todd Dodge discussed the intracacies of the Mean Green offense at length, both having no idea they would meet as opposing coaches the following year.
North Texas was bitten by the turnover bug in 2008, finishing the season ranked 116th in the NCAA in turnover margin. The Mean Green committed 33 turnovers, while gaining 16 for a -17 margin.
The Mean Green was outscored 167-64 in the first quarter and 210-59 in the second quarter, leading to an average halftime deficit of 21.2 points per game. It was a lethal combination of inefficient drives by the North Texas offense and a Mean Green defense that had a hard time keeping the opponent out of the end zone.